Councilman pays $28,800 for Twitter posts

Apr 4, 2012

PHILADELPHIA (UPI) -- A Philadelphia city councilman who pays a company $28,800 per year to use Twitter and Facebook for him said 53 is too old to understand the technology.

Councilman Jim Kenney, who has 10 staff members making a total $654,034 per year and pays $30,000 per year to a public relations consultant, said he has to spend an additional $28,800 in taxpayer funds to Center City-based company ChatterBlast to implement his "social media strategy" on Facebook and Twitter, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Wednesday.

"I, at 53 years old, do not have that facility," he said. So I need consultant advice to communicate with a group of folks who are not necessarily in my age group.

Martin O'Rourke, Kenney's public relations contractor, said using Twitter is not one of his skills.

"I have no clue how to tweet; I still don't understand the mechanics of it. It's a thing of the future," he said.